No world cup for the poor

Many of those gathering at street cafes in Amman can’t afford to watch the World Cup matches on their televisions at home. The broadcast rights are exclusive to certain channels, and the cost of the card that would allow fans to watch those channels is extremely prohibitive.

The black market has come to the rescue, however, offering cheaper (and less legal) ways to acquire the channels. According to the Jordanian authority, “almost half” of cafés may be screening the matches illegally, yet few are daunted by the law.